The original 25 minute long short film, "Across the Hall", was created in 2006 by director Alex Merkin. A relatively new director, this being his only well know publication, was an instant success as it was received with great appraisal at a number of film festivals, winning Audience Favorite at Palm Springs in 2006. Below is the short film trailer, created on a small budget, yet with an extremely effective profit turn out and a highly suspenseful film.
It was so successful in fact, that Merkin was contacted and asked to direct a full length version of the film, in which the final product was a 93 minute Hollywood adaption. Below i have again included the trailer yet this time for the blockbuster version, and the differences are minimal, apart from the style of filming and the inclusion of well known actors, such as the late Brittany Murphy.
Across The Hall Feature Film Trailer from Gary Gimelfarb on Vimeo.
When looking from a comparative angle, it is evident the second version has been extremely glamourised, and often fails to retain the gritty harsh reality of the situation that the short film does so well, and so briefly. The short films length adds to the heightened sense of urgency and suspense, as the audience is aware it must come to a heart stopping climax, and fast. In this case of short film vs hollywood adaption, it is of my own opinion that the short film is most effective in shocking and horrifying the audience using time as a key aspect of fear and urgency. When creating my own short film, I will aim to include aspects of suspense to keep the audience engaged and unable to guess what is coming next. I thoroughly enjoyed this production, and hopefully my final piece will be effective and successful.
When looking from a comparative angle, it is evident the second version has been extremely glamourised, and often fails to retain the gritty harsh reality of the situation that the short film does so well, and so briefly. The short films length adds to the heightened sense of urgency and suspense, as the audience is aware it must come to a heart stopping climax, and fast. In this case of short film vs hollywood adaption, it is of my own opinion that the short film is most effective in shocking and horrifying the audience using time as a key aspect of fear and urgency. When creating my own short film, I will aim to include aspects of suspense to keep the audience engaged and unable to guess what is coming next. I thoroughly enjoyed this production, and hopefully my final piece will be effective and successful.
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